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Subject: Metrolink: new Locos­Cab car problems­Long Distance Train News special

From: Rail Passenger Association of California (noelnoelt@cox.net)

To: ntbraymer@yahoo.com;

Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2015 9:31 AM

RailPAC Weekly E­Newsletter for September 8, 2015 Edited by Noel T. BraymerFeel free to forward copies of this E­Newsletter to your friends or someone who canuse this information. If you would like to subscribe to the E­Newsletter just send me your name and emailaddress to nbraymer@railpac.orgIf you'd like to see expanded and improved Rail Passenger Service­Join Us!Membership increases our strength in presenting the case for rail to policymakers at alllevels!

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Often when a locomotive breaks down, a train following the broken­down train is coupled to the problemtrain to push it to their destination. Here is an example of this from 2013 at the end of the line of 2 latetrains in Oceanside. Photo by Noel T. Braymer

Metrolink plans to buy state­of­the­art locomotivesLA Times Aug 31, 2015To overcome a surge in locomotive breakdowns that delay passengers, the Metrolink commuter railroadplans to spend about $200 million for some of the most sophisticated low­emission engines available.Railofficials want to buy 29 so­called Tier 4 locomotives — powerful, fuel­efficient vehicles designed toslash potentially harmful releases of nitrogen oxide and fine particles of diesel exhaust.Metrolink is set to take delivery of its first locomotive in December and the rest next year. When it does,the railroad that serves about 41,200 daily riders from six Southern California counties will become thefirst passenger line in the nation to operate the state­of­the­art engines.

METROLINK: Safety concerns arise over crash­resistant carsPress­Enterprise ­ Sep 3, 2015Metrolink is evaluating the safety of its crash­resistant cars and removing them from the front of trains inthe wake of a deadly Southern California derailment, the railroad said Thursday...Meanwhile, Metrolink is working on an agreement to place leased locomotives in front the cars bymonth’s end, spokesman Scott Johnson said.Johnson said he had no details on the cost of the engines or how long they will be used because theagreement is still being finalized with BNSF Railway. Johnson said he has not heard of any similarconcerns with Hyundai Rotem cab cars elsewhere in the nation.

California Is About to Do Something Great That No State Has Ever Done BeforeMother Jones­Sep 3, 2015California is also special because of how much of its emissions come from road transportation (cars,

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trucks, buses, etc.), which is why a major reduction in gasoline use would be so significant. Nationally,just 27 percent of greenhouse gas emissions are from transportation; in California, it's 37 percent.Another way to crunch those numbers: One­tenth of the nation's road transport emissions come fromCalifornia. Unsurprisingly, California is also the biggest consumer of gasoline, accounting for one­tenth of the national gas market.

Can California really cut gasoline use by 50 percent?San Jose Mercury News Sep 5, 2015The state will get halfway to that goal even if it does nothing. That's because of federal rules put intoplace in 2009 by President Barack Obama to double the gas mileage standards for new U.S. vehicles to54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Second, the rest of the difference can be made up simply by enforcing ­­and in some cases strengthening ­­ existing laws passed over the last 15 years to boost electric cars,promote mass transit and reduce the amount of carbon in fuels, according to experts who have done themath.

Transit is key to both climate change and transportation (Op­ED)Sacramento Bee­Sep 2, 2015Transportation accounts for more than half of greenhouse gas emissions in California when you includecars and trucks as well as oil refineries...We need the governor and the Legislature to invest in solutions that modernize our transportationinfrastructure and further our climate goals. These solutions include improving and expanding transitservice so buses and trains are convenient, reliable and affordable, especially for commuters who can’tafford a car. We need to build networks of protected bike lanes and sidewalks to connect neighborhoodsto transit, schools, parks, shopping and work so families don’t need a car for every trip.

The Dutch Railway Could Run Solely On Wind Power By 2018Gizmodo Australia ­ Sep 1, 2015Railway Technology reports that Dutch energy company Eneco and the VIVENS rail companies signed adeal to make Dutch electric trains within Netherlands Railways run entirely on energy produced by windfarms. Wind farms already supply half of the 2897km, 1.5kV DC network’s energy — a network thatcarries 1.2 million passengers a day.The wind power will come from within the Netherlands, as well as Belgium and some Scandinaviannations; part of the objective is to promote increased renewable energy adoption in other Europeancountries.

Road Repair Deal At Capitol Still ElusiveCapitol Radio Aug 31, 2015Halfway through the California Legislature's final month of work, lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brownappear no closer to a deal on transportation funding than when they first returned from summer recesstwo weeks ago.The governor and legislative Democrats want to raise new revenues for road and highway repairs – suchas gas tax and vehicle fee increases...Democrats would need Republican votes in each chamber to pass tax or fee increases.

California gas tax hike?: Brown administration meets with Republicans ...Contra Costa Times ­ Sep 3, 2015The plan presented by Brown administration officials to Republican legislative leaders would generateroughly $3.5 billion annually, said one source with knowledge of the proposal.Most of the money wouldcome from raising the gasoline tax 6 cents per gallon, increasing the diesel tax by 11 cents and creating anew $65 vehicle registration fee. The proposal also calls for adjusting the gasoline tax annually to match

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inflation and using $450 million in cap­and­trade money collected from polluters to expand publictransit. A competing plan authored by Sen. Jim Beall, D­San Jose, would increase the gasoline and dieseltaxes twice as much. Gareth Lacy, a spokesman for the governor,said the administration put forth its planafter consulting with members of both parties as well as business and transportation leaders concernedwith the state of California's roadways.

First Cap­and­Trade Funds Awarded for Transit ProjectsStreetsblog Los Angeles (blog)­Aug 31, 2015The California Transportation Commission began the process of allocating funds from the GreenhouseGas Reduction Fund at its monthly meeting on Friday. The first official allocations for the Transit andIntercity Rail Capital Program went to Sacramento, LA’s MetroLink, and San Diego for projects thatwill allow them to offer better transit service, thus encouraging transit ridership and reducing greenhousegas emissions.

New SANDAG Policy Leaves Transit Advocates Wanting MoreVoice of San Diego­Sep 3, 2015Cities have run into trouble recently when it comes to coordinating their development regulations withregional transit investments.In Bay Park, for instance, San Diego last year tried to increase the number of homes and the height ofbuildings developers could build near two new stations on the planned trolley extension from Old Townto University City.But nearby residents organized quickly and forcefully against the proposal, and the city has abandoned itentirely. Meanwhile, the trolley extension is still proposed, and the new stations will go in without majorincreases to allowed development in the area.

10 cities with the worst trafficUSA TODAY­Sep 5, 2015Generally speaking, the larger the city the worse the congestion. Eight of the 10 most congested urbanareas have a population of over 3 million, including the areas home to the nation’s three largest cities,New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Though the cities with the worst congestion are spread throughoutthe country, four are located in California.Despite years of trying, you can't improve traffic by widening and building more roads. Doing soonly encourages people to drive more, making traffic worse. The only solutions to congestion isridesharing, rather than building more roads for more cars with mostly only one person in the car.A subway with double tracks can carry more people than a 10 lane freeway. When publictransportation service is good: i.e., convenient, clean, quick and economical, people will ride it.NB

Los Angeles City Council OKs 2024 Olympic planLos Angeles Daily News Sep 1, 2015The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to submit a bid for the 2024 SummerOlympics, throwing their support behind a $6 billion plan to bring the Games to Los Angeles.With the 15­0 vote, city negotiators can now seek to bring the Games to Los Angeles. Several othercities, including Paris and Hamburg, are also vying for the international event.

Summer Olympics 2024 editionThe Source Sep 2, 2015The plan is to put the Olympic Village for the athletes in the giant Union Pacific rail yard seen above.After the Summer Olympics, the Village would then be converted to permanent housing for Angelenos topurchase. ..

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The land needs to be purchased from Union Pacific. Beyond the Olympics, this strikes me as the kind ofopen space that can and should be developed into housing.

River and Rail Relations Sputter Along, Safety Cited as a ConcernKCET­Aug 31, 2015Following the approval of the City of Los Angeles' Locally Preferred Plan to revitalize 11 miles of theL.A. River, one important question comes to mind­­Will the City finally be able to buy Piggyback Yard?And the answer is no. The refusal of Union Pacific to sell the land deprives the LPP of 113 acres of land,the largest parcel for development along the River. This issue is indicative of the history between riverand rail stakeholders, The UP Piggyback Yard is where Los Angeles Officials want to build the Olympic Village for theproposed 2024 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. NB

Runner Bill to Defund High­Speed Rail DiesSCVNEWS.com ­ Sep 2, 2015State Sen. Sharon Runner, R­Antelope Valley, announced Wednesday that her legislation to prohibit Capand Trade funds from being used for High Speed Rail was killed by the Senate Transportation andInfrastructure Development Committee.

Tulare County ready to plan connection to Hanford high speed rail stationVisalia Times­Delta­Sep 4, 2015Visalia and the Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) appear ready to carry on with a"connectivity study" that was proposed by Hanford City Manager Darrel Pyle recently — part of a two­prong effort to work with the California High Speed Rail Authority on station design as well as a look ata possible light rail route connecting the proposed Hanford rail station to Tulare County.

Cosmo breaks ground on new downtown locationFresno Business Journal­Sep 3, 2015City officials and the California High Speed Rail Authority broke ground at the future home of thefamily­owned Cosmopolitan Tavern & Italian Grill during a special ceremony earlier today in downtownFresno.The relocation from the business’ current address at 1564 Fresno St. to the southwest corner of Venturaand O streets is being hailed as one of the high speed rail’s success stories since the business will remainin the downtown area.

In Response: High­speed railThe San Diego Union­Tribune­Sep 4, 2015The San Diego Union­Tribune is at it again with yet another editorial that misconstrues the facts abouthigh­speed rail.Last weekend’s “High­speed rail project: Dead train walking?” (Aug. 30) is the latest example of the U­Tgrasping at straws, provided by the same, small handful of litigants that have been working since 2008 todeprive California voters of the high­speed rail system they voted for.While the U­T would have you believe this group is on a crusade to uphold the law, the simple fact isthat it is made up of well­heeled individuals who don’t want a train coming anywhere near theirproperty...Rather than relying on the claims of self­interested high­speed rail foes, your readers should know thatthe Independent Legislative Independent Peer Review Group and other official sources have confirmedthat our plans meet the financial, engineering and operating requirements, precisely as set forth byProposition 1A.Unfortunately, the U­T continues to insist on the broken record of opponent’s claims that have been

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proven incorrect time and time again.Dan RichardBoard ChairmanCalifornia High­Speed Rail Authority

North Texas puts up more high­speed rail moneyFort Worth Star Telegram­Aug 31, 2015The effort to connect cities from Fort Worth to Houston by high­speed rail continues to chug along, andattempts to stop the plan through political channels have faded for now.The Regional Transportation Council earlier this month agreed to pay $4.5 million through 2018 to keepup planning efforts on the portion of the proposed bullet train system that would connect Fort Worth,Arlington and Dallas.

China offers to build Sweden's high­speed railway in half the timeGCR­Sep 2, 2015A large Chinese rail contractor has secretly offered to build Sweden’s planned high­speed railway in fiveyears fewer, and for $3bn less, than was originally estimated by the state transport administration.A contractor named as China Railway Construction made the confidential bid to the Standing Committeefor Transport of Sweden’s parliament, and then the document was leaked to Sweden’s national TVbroadcaster, SVT.

Indonesia Scraps Bullet Train, Seeks New Bids From China, JapanBloomberg ­ Sep 3, 2015Indonesia is scrapping a $6 billion plan for a high­speed train because it’s not commercially viable, and isasking bidders China and Japan to submit new proposals.The government now wants a slower train capable of traveling at 200­kilometers (120 miles) per hourbetween the capital Jakarta and the third­biggest city Bandung, Rizal Ramli, the minister coordinatingpolicy for transport told Bloomberg News Thursday. The need for new proposals, which could be 30percent to 40 percent cheaper, will delay the decision by several weeks, he said in his first interview withinternational media since taking office last month.

Eurostar passengers 'threatened to smash windows' The Independent ­ Sep 2, 2015Eurostar services were in chaos overnight as frustrated passengers reportedly screamed and threatened tosmash train windows after being left stranded in the dark in hot and stuffy carriages for up to five hours.Rail services between Britain and France were suspended as reports of trespassers on the tracks of theChannel Tunnel and on train roofs caused major disruption to some 2,000 passengers ­ including someforced to wait for almost 16 hours to get to London St Pancras.

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A ten car Pacific Surfliner Train #774 from San Luis Obispo in late August southbound leavingOceanside. Photo by Noel T, Braymer

Train Trips to Disneyland ?By Noel T. BraymerSummer, particularly in August up to Labor Day is one of the busiest travel periods in this Country. ThePacific Surfliners has its busiest month in August. The reason for this is no secret. Summer is the timefor vacations and leisure travel. People like to travel. Thomas Cook understood that as early as 1841when he organized the first rail excursion. Much of the extra travel in August on the Surfliners is frompassengers going to the the Del Mar Racetrack for a day at the races.

Your guide to this year's Orange International Street FairOCRegister­Aug 31, 2015ORANGE ­ Aebelskivers will be baked, beer will be poured and bands will jam.In its 43rd year, the Orange International Street Fair will offer up much of the same fare it has in thepast. After all, when 500,000 satisfied fair goers descend on Old Towne year after year, there’s not muchneed to change things up, organizers said...Getting thereWith parking tight and the two main spokes of Old Towne closed to traffic, the Orange CountyTransportation Authority is encouraging street fair attendees to take Metrolink. A weekend day pass costs$10, and Orange's Metrolink stop is a few blocks from where all of the action takes place.

California’s Transit TomorrowlandThe Source Aug 31, 2015With a looming infrastructure deficit of $200 billion through 2035 in our region alone (as projected bythe Southern California Association of Governments), funding and innovative delivery is a criticaldiscussion topic at this year’s Summit. According to SCAG, nearly 74 percent of the funding forSouthern California’s transportation projects is raised locally, predominantly through sales tax measures.

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State and federal support is imperative to maintain and upgrade California’s infrastructure.

Expect BART, Muni delays Labor Day weekendSFBay­Sep 3, 2015BART has been reminding riders for weeks now that the Transbay Tube will shut down for a secondtime at the end of service Friday night and all day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday so that the transitagency can do critical track work in the tube...The SFMTA said it will also be working on the Central Subway project during the Labor Day weekend,which will affect N­Judah and T­Third riders in the area.

West Oakland BART Station Reopens After Man Shoots Himself While ResistingOfficersNBC Bay Area ­ Sep 2, 2015BART officers approached a man who was smoking on the platform — which is prohibited in California— around 8 p.m. and asked him to put out his cigarette, according to a statement by the transit agency.The man provided officers with a false name and threatened to jump in front of an oncoming train, thestatement noted. He violently resisted and made a move toward his waist, prompting officers to tase him.

SMART track completed in MarinMarin Independent Journal Sep 2, 2015All the track needed to run Sonoma­Marin Area Rail Transit commuter trains through Marin County isnow set firmly in terra firma after 15 months of work.Crews have put down the final track near the Civic Center, completing about 20 miles of rail thatstretches from downtown San Rafael to the county line.

Capitol Corridor debuts rail crossing safety videoProgressive Rail Roading­Sep 2, 2015According to Federal Railroad Administration statistics, California has one of the highest trespasserfatality rates in the country, Capitol Corridor officials said, adding that the video is aimed at preventingfuture incidents "by educating people of all ages about the importance of rail safety."The video's release coincides with California's "Rail Safety Month," which was instituted by the statelegislature in 2009, Capital Corridor officials said.

Caltrain Modernization Program getting boost:San Mateo Daily Journal­Sep 3, 2015The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board is set to meet Thursday, Sept. 3, and will discuss a handful ofitems related to the Caltrain Modernization Program — a system overhaul that involves purchasing newtrains, a high­tech control system and electrifying 51 miles of track between San Jose and San Francisco.Officials hope the project aimed at increasing capacity to account for an astronomical growth in ridershipwhile greatly reducing carbon emissions, will be 75 percent complete by 2020 and fully implemented by2040.

Caltrain begins improvements aimed at preventing deaths by suicidesPalo Alto Online ­ Sep 2, 2015Caltrain began removing vegetation Tuesday along the rail corridor in Palo Alto as part of a suicideprevention program approved in August.Caltrain also started installing fencing in the area to reduce access to rail tracks, according to Caltrainofficials.

Caltrain Board Honors Heroic Sheriff's Deputies for Saving a Man's Life.

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NBC Bay Area­Sep 3, 2015Caltrain officials on Thursday honored two sheriff's deputies who pulled a man out of a car mere secondsbefore a train slammed into it.Lance Whitted and Erik Rueppel received certificates of recognition at Caltrain’s monthly board meetingfor saving a suspected drunk driver’s life on Aug. 3 before a train plowed into his car, which was stuckon the tracks in Sunnyvale.

$10 Million Offered for Highway­Rail Crossing fixesKTVH­Sept 2, 2015Billings, MT ­ U.S. transportation officials will offer $10 million in grants for states to upgradehighway­rail crossings and tracks in response to a surge in flammable fuel shipments in recent years...There were more than 2,200 collisions in 2014, killing 269 people and injuring 849. Almost 40 percentof the fatalities occurred in just five states ­­ California, Illinois, Texas, Alabama and Louisiana.

AP survey: How cities are handling surge in oil trainsSFGate­Sep 3, 2015In the wake of a half­dozen fiery crashes this year, The Associated Press surveyed nearly a dozen citieswith populations of more than 250,000 to gauge how prepared they are to respond to an oil­trainderailment.Emergency officials in every city say they're aware of the threat and are taking steps to address it, but thelevel of preparedness differs from city to city.

Residents pack Pismo Beach council meeting to oppose Phillips 66 rail projectThe San Luis Obispo Tribune­Sep 1, 2015People lined the walls of the Pismo Beach City Council chambers Tuesday night in advance of apresentation about a proposed Phillips 66 Co. rail project that would bring up to 250 trains carrying crudeoil through the county each year.

TRACKING LONG DISTANCE RAIL NEWS…AgainReport and Commentary by Russ Jackson, with PHOTOSFor almost two decades this writer wrote a monthly column titled “Tracking Rail News,” which appearedin the Western Rail Passenger Review, the official publication of the Rail Passenger Association ofCalifornia and Nevada...Not that there is any real need for its resurrection, but sometimes thinking about the old days brings outthe old three dot mentality, and there is no better way to end this summer of musings about the westernlong distance trains than to bring together several “news” items and “commentary” about them in thegrand old style and see what we’ve learned along with two superb photos we have received.

Moving Amtrak station a cog in overpass plansInMaricopa.com­Sep 7, 2015When an Amtrak train pulls into the Maricopa station, it does not stop just once.The platform is only long enough to allow access to one baggage car and one passenger car. The trainstops the first time for the first access, and then it pulls forward and stops again for access to morebaggage and more passengers. And then it does so again.It is a 10­minute procedure. For most of that time, the train is stopping the traffic flow on State Route347.It is why a proposal for moving the Amtrak station is an integral part of planning for an overpass acrossthe Union Pacific Railroad tracks at SR 347.Maricopa, Arizona is the closest station to the Phoenix Metro area, which is roughly the size of SanDiego's. NB

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Prosecutors consider charges in Amtrak­superload crashNews & Observer (blog)­Sep 3, 2015The Amtrak Carolinian, with 212 passengers and 8 crew members aboard, struck a 164­foot­long truckthat had stopped on the tracks on N.C. 903 in the town of Halifax. The collision knocked the locomotiveand baggage car off the tracks, causing mostly minor injuries to 62 people on the train.

Amtrak Station Cited for Violating Deaf Man's RightsThe Charlottesville Newsplex ­ Sep 1, 2015RICHMOND, Va. (AP) ­­ The Federal Railroad Administration has cited an Amtrak station in HenricoCounty for violating a deaf man's rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act.The agency said the station on Staples Mill Road lacked required public telephone technology for peoplewho are deaf or hard of hearing.

Amtrak refuses services dogsKATV­Sep 3, 2015After spending three months in the natural state a California man is ready to return home.His luggage will arrive in his hometown of Merced tomorrow morning. But he is still here.Delmar Marsh says he told Amtrak about his service dogs when he bought his ticket, when he arrived andwhen he boarded his train. But just before that train left the station he says a Little Rock ticket agent stepped in and told him to stepoff. Amtrak will get itself into a lot of trouble challenging the "American's with Disability Act". Theway the law is enforced you must give a person the benefit of the doubt if they say they aredisabled and their animal is a service animal. If you even question their disability or if theiranimal is a service animal, you can be found guilty of invading the person's privacy. You can't askquestions that are personal in nature like a person's disability with this law. NB

Amtrak, TSA boost rail security for Labor Day weekendUSA TODAY­Sep 3, 2015WASHINGTON — Amtrak and the Transportation Security Administration announced Thursday thatthey're boosting rail security for the Labor Day weekend as part of a series of high­profile security effortsat train stations and along tracks.

LIRR delayed by Amtrak signal problems during morning commuteWABC­TV­Sept 2, 2015WHAT HAPPENED? A power distribution problem Wednesday morning in Queens caused thesuspension of LIRR trains. The issue is with power distribution to "harold interlocking" ­­ a series ofswitches in Queens, about four miles east of the East River Tunnels. Trains cannot be moved through thetunnel, which takes LIRR trains from Jamaica to Manhattan, because switches cannot be operated.

Local leaders push for more rail, Amtrak travelDayton Daily News­Aug 31, 2015Rail transportation in Ohio faces notable hurdles.Amtrak only runs two lines in Ohio, one through Cleveland and the other in Cincinnati. The Cincinnatistop is infamous for its bad timing — it drops off passengers only three times a week around 3 a.m. atUnion Terminal in downtown Cincinnati.And while some say they want more train stops in the area, those plans have almost zero support at thestate level.When Gov. John Kasich took office in 2011, citing upkeep costs and low ridership fears, he axed a $400

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million offer from the federal government to build a rail system that would travel from Cleveland toCincinnati and halted state­led passenger rail planning.

This is the entrance to the Disneyland Resort Transportation Center. There is an amazing number of"guests" who ride buses in the Disneyland area, particularly those who are staying for several days at ahotel for a "California Vacation". Better connections with ART (Anaheim Resort Transportation) to railpassenger service to attractions such as Disneyland could bring in many new train riders. Photo by NoelT. Braymer

We Get EmailRe: Rotem Cab Car Recall. News that the NTSB has concerns about the Rotem cab cars is not surprising. I wrote to Metrolink ChairShawn Nelson raising the same issue after the Oxnard derailment in which the train derailed, jacknifedand ended on its side. The Metrolink Board were quick to tout the new Crash Energy Management but itappears that it either did not work, or more likely was not designed to work with a train to road vehiclecollision.As with Glendale in 2005 the Oxnard train struck a road vehicle stuck on the tracks. In both cases thetrain was derailed by debris from the vehicle. Did the SCRRA/Metrolink Board ascertain that the Rotemcars would survive a Glendale type of collision in addition to a train to train collision?While some may believe that an all political Board of Directors may be responsive to the public theconcept fails if the Board members have no industry knowledge, and are unable to ask searchingquestions of the executives and staff. Boards are not for decoration.Paul DysonBurbank, CA

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President, Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada

Re: Amtrak Credit CardI just received a mail piece from Chase announcing "the credit card relationship between Amtrak andChase Bank ... will end September 30, 2015. We're replacing your current Master Card account with aChase Freedom Visa." The recent Amtrak PR describing changes to the Guest Rewards program makes no mention of this. Infact, the accompanying website for Amtrak Guest Rewards states, under the "Earn" tab, "Whether you'retraveling Amtrak, staying with any of our hotel partners, or making purchases with the Amtrak GuestRewards MasterCard®, you'll earn points for it."Amtrak's new Rewards program begins in January. It is unclear how the program will operate betweenOctober 1 and December 31.Donald Bing

Opinions expressed in this enewsletter are those of the authors and not necessarilythose of the Rail Passenger Association of California.

The RailPAC Mission: Passenger Rail advocacy, Publications…both print andelectronic, Representation at regional meetings, and Rail education.Join us! More memberships increase our strength in presenting the case for rail topolicymakers at all levels!

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